Tracker for musical instruments.



TRACKER FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

(Application flled Doc. 19, 1901.)

(In Iodol.)

INVENTOR I z'dwmsfia HIS ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN S. VOTEY, OF SUMMIT, NEW

JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE AEOLIAN CO., OF NEWV YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

TRACKER FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 712,162, dated October 28, 1902. Application filed December 19, 1901. Serial No. 86,596. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWIN S.VOTEY, of Summit,Union county, New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Trackers for Musical Instruments,'of which the following is a specification.

This improvement relates to mechanism for playing musical instruments and which is controlled by a perforated music-sheet oper- IO ating in conjunction with a tracker having a number of ducts leading to pneumatics which directly or indirectly actuate the sound-producing devices. Such a mechanism may be complete in itself and employed as an attachment to operate a keyboard instrument, or it may be comprised in a musical instrument as an integral part thereof. Usually the trackers are made of wood and are objectionable, because this material is sonorous and also because it is difficult to keep perfectly smooth, so as to obviate noise when the music-sheet is passing over it. Moreover, considerable friction is generated in the ordinary construction of one of these trackers.

The object of my invention is to improve upon the construction of tracker-boards used in mechanical musical instruments; and to this end my invention consists in a trackerboard for carrying out the above object constructed substantially as hereinafter fully described and shown in this specification and accompanying drawings. 7

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section of a tracker and tubes embodying this improvement. Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating the casting of the tracker around the tubes. Fig. 3 is a top view of the tracker and tubes.

Similar letters of reference designate corre- 4o sponding parts in all the figures.

A designates a tracker made in the form of a shallow bar rounded at the top, so as to form a surface over which a music-sheet may travel easily and without noise. Preferably the metal employed will be some kind of metal of the general nature of that known as Britannia metal, because that is capable of being made very smooth without extensive machining.

B designates a number of tubes, preferably made of soft brass and communicating with I the tracker-A. Preferably the union between the tracker and the tubes will be made by casting the former around the latter and with the latter extending to the top surface of the tracker. Preferably the tubes will be round throughout the main portion of their length and flattened at the upper extremities, so as to form rectangular orifices at the top of the tracker.

In Fig. 2 there is shown a mold composed of two parts C 0 having an interior cavity or matrix of suitable form for producing a tracker of the described configuration. Through the lower part C of the mold extends a number of holes suitable in size for receiving and tightly holding the tubes B, while the upper ends extend well up into the matrix or cavity of the mold. The upper section C of the mold is provided internally with a number of dowels 0, adapted to enter orifices in the portions C of the mold to hold the parts of the mold firmly in position during casting. Owing to the shape of the upper ends of the tubes, it will be necessary to insort the tubes into the lower section of the mold from above. The metal which is to form the tracker may be introduced in any wellknown way into the matrix or cavity.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination of a tracker made of metal of a suitably-rounded surface where traversed by the music-sheet and a number of metal tubes which are round throughout most of their length but are flattened at the upper extremities to form quadrilateral orifices and which are secured in the tracker by having the latter cast around them.

2. The combination with a tracker made of metal and having a suitably-rounded surface where traversed by the music-sheet, of a number of metal tubes secured in it with their ends flush with the surface over which the music-sheet travels.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWIN S. VOTEY.

WVitnesses:

OWEN WARD, W. CORNELL BENJAMIN. 

